Simple Halloween Decor That Doesn't Break the Bank

I've never been big on spending for Halloween. Money is often tight at this time of year as we work to get ready for Christmas.  I buy a few Halloween decorations, but most of them are re-purposed or handmade.

Cinderella is not part of the decor.  She just thinks she is.  

My daughter found these dolls at a second hand store a few years ago.  She thought they were beautiful and spent her own money to buy them.  Then it got dark and she decided they wanted to kill her in her sleep.  They spent some time locked away in a bin with books piled on top of them.  Then I rescued them to use as Halloween decorations. My daughter thanks me every day for covering them up with distressed cheese cloth and putting them on display. I'm sure she'll want them back one day.  

Distressing cheese cloth is actually pretty fun. All you have to do is cut and pull.  It has a naturally creepy vibe, like the dolls.

I made this wreath out of an old glow-in-the-dark skeleton I had.  Its legs were broken and it was missing several toes.  I used black tubes from an old spider costume as the base.  The ribs helped to make it more sturdy. Then, with my trusty glue gun, I attached the other bones and added the little skulls and bow tie. I didn't do a more detailed tutorial because I put it together with random pieces. It might be good for kick starting new ideas, though.

The monster is a big doll with a monster mask.  Isn't she cute? I had to move it because the kittens didn't approve of the location. (It's all about them, you know.)

Cinderella insists on being in the pictures, but won't look at the camera. The skulls can be found in various stores for about a dollar.

This ghost started out as a ghost costume.  Unfortunately, the mask looks like Klan mask and I couldn't ever wear it. (It only looks that way on people.  Weird, I know) The body of the costume is really long and with kittens around I decided it was best to keep it packed this year.  I made a new body by tying three pieces of cheese cloth together and distressing them.  The mask is stuffed with a paper mache head that glows under our black light.  It's a pretty eerie way to greet our trick-or-treaters.

Plastic pumpkins pick up light from the window behind it.

Fuzzy pipe cleaner spiders. Take 4 pipe cleaners, twist them in the middle and glue a body over the twisted part.  You can do a head too.  I didn't because they aren't seen from close up and I was going for simple.  They look pretty creepy from a distance with all those spindly legs.

Our ghost masks are still a favorite.  This is their third year and they are still going strong, despite the crazy weather. Go here for a full tutorial.

Have a safe, happy Halloween!